Common Fitness & Diet Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Regular exercise and diet is good for a number of health benefits like preventing heart disease and diabetes, to promoting a longer life. But exercising the wrong way can be detrimental to both your fitness goals and your health. This article will provide you with information on common fitness and diet mistakes and how to avoid them. Whether you're just looking to shed a few pounds or you want to lead a healthier lifestyle, the following information will be beneficial to you.
To prevent injuries and setbacks, we recommend that you watch out for the following Fitness Mistakes.
Not stretching. Stretching both before and after your workout actually helps you throughout your entire workout. As opposed to most weightlifting exercises, stretching can elongate your muscles, making them appear leaner.
Focusing on one thing. Your workouts should a variety of exercises, including the following training components: flexibility, core, balance, agility, quickness, resistance and cardiovascular.
Exercising too hard. Extremely intense exercise is actually less effective than sustaining a moderate workout for a longer period of time. The proper level of exercise should produce a light sweat and get your heart beating in your target zone.
Not drinking, or drinking too little. Just because you don't feel thirsty during your workout doesn't mean you should drink! Don't wait until you're thirsty because at that point you're probably already dehydrated. Drink water during your workout to stay hydrated.
Not warming up. Start your workout slowly and then gradually increase your intensity. Muscles need time to adjust to the demands of aerobic activity, otherwise it could lead to cramping or injury.
Not cooling down. Cool downs should include 5-10 minutes of light cardiovascular training and stretching. This gives your body a smooth transition from exercise to a state of rest. It also helps lower blood pressure and minimizes soreness.
Lifting too much weight. Lifting more weight than you can handle will result in injury. If you find yourself jerking or bouncing to lift weights, you're putting unnecessary stress on your joints and muscles. This can lead to sprains, muscle spasms and back injuries. Start out light and increase weight as your strength increases.
Misunderstanding soreness. Many people believe that chemical imbalances (lactic acid, lack of iron, etc.) cause you to be sore after a workouts. Soreness is actually caused by small tears in the muscle and connective tissue. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and it's very common after an intense workout.
Diet Mistakes: With all the food choice available to us, how do you tell the "good from the bad"? Well, based on what the top US nutrition experts have to say, here's a number of ways that we make bad food choices, and how we can make better ones.
If you "feel" hungry - you must be hungry - Truth is, if you don't know when you're hungry, you won't know when you're full and you won't know when to stop. Too many times, we "guess" we're hungry, and go from there. A better solution is to rate how hungry you think you are (try a scale of something like 1 to 10) - then, eat slowly and as you eat, think about how your hunger changes. If you use a 1 to 10 scale, try to stay between 4 and 7. You don't want to be too hungry when you start, nor too full when you stop.
Supersize Me - is a value- We always seem to look for a "value" when we're eating out, and that creates the false impression that if we supersize a restaurant meal, that we're saving money. Yet, in doing so, we're losing our health. A better way to look at meal size is by judging with your palm, not your pocketbook. A good rule of thumb for serving size is, if it fits into the palm of your hand that the right size. Make sure that your serving has one protein, one starch, one veggie, and one fruit, based on the serving that fits in the palm of your hand.
Fat is Bad - We have a mentality that fat is bad, which isn't true. What is more important, according to the American Heart Association, is telling the difference between saturated and trans fats (the bad fats), and eat the good, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. You can find these fats in fish, nuts, avocados, soybean and canola oils. If you track total calories, you don't have to worry about how much fat you eat, just what kind of fat.
If it's liquid, it has no calories - Most sugared drinks including soda's and juices -have a high concentration of high-fructose corn syrup as it's sweetener. But, fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and also interferes with the heart's ability to use key minerals vital for a healthy heart. So, instead of sugared drinks, try drinking water or tea. Tea is calorie free, promotes heart health, strengthens bones & teeth, protects the skin and may help you avoid several types of cancer!
Frozen Entrees are healthy - Many times, with our hectic schedules, it seems as though throwing a frozen entree in the microwave seems the best way to take care of a meal. But, eating too many processed foods like the types you find in the frozen food isle of your nearby supermarket may leave you short on fiber and important antioxidants such as vitamin C. So, if you do find yourself in a situation where having a frozen meal is your only choice, compliment it with a green salad, a whole wheat roll, and some fruit for dessert.
To prevent injuries and setbacks, we recommend that you watch out for the following Fitness Mistakes.
Not stretching. Stretching both before and after your workout actually helps you throughout your entire workout. As opposed to most weightlifting exercises, stretching can elongate your muscles, making them appear leaner.
Focusing on one thing. Your workouts should a variety of exercises, including the following training components: flexibility, core, balance, agility, quickness, resistance and cardiovascular.
Exercising too hard. Extremely intense exercise is actually less effective than sustaining a moderate workout for a longer period of time. The proper level of exercise should produce a light sweat and get your heart beating in your target zone.
Not drinking, or drinking too little. Just because you don't feel thirsty during your workout doesn't mean you should drink! Don't wait until you're thirsty because at that point you're probably already dehydrated. Drink water during your workout to stay hydrated.
Not warming up. Start your workout slowly and then gradually increase your intensity. Muscles need time to adjust to the demands of aerobic activity, otherwise it could lead to cramping or injury.
Not cooling down. Cool downs should include 5-10 minutes of light cardiovascular training and stretching. This gives your body a smooth transition from exercise to a state of rest. It also helps lower blood pressure and minimizes soreness.
Lifting too much weight. Lifting more weight than you can handle will result in injury. If you find yourself jerking or bouncing to lift weights, you're putting unnecessary stress on your joints and muscles. This can lead to sprains, muscle spasms and back injuries. Start out light and increase weight as your strength increases.
Misunderstanding soreness. Many people believe that chemical imbalances (lactic acid, lack of iron, etc.) cause you to be sore after a workouts. Soreness is actually caused by small tears in the muscle and connective tissue. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and it's very common after an intense workout.
Diet Mistakes: With all the food choice available to us, how do you tell the "good from the bad"? Well, based on what the top US nutrition experts have to say, here's a number of ways that we make bad food choices, and how we can make better ones.
If you "feel" hungry - you must be hungry - Truth is, if you don't know when you're hungry, you won't know when you're full and you won't know when to stop. Too many times, we "guess" we're hungry, and go from there. A better solution is to rate how hungry you think you are (try a scale of something like 1 to 10) - then, eat slowly and as you eat, think about how your hunger changes. If you use a 1 to 10 scale, try to stay between 4 and 7. You don't want to be too hungry when you start, nor too full when you stop.
Supersize Me - is a value- We always seem to look for a "value" when we're eating out, and that creates the false impression that if we supersize a restaurant meal, that we're saving money. Yet, in doing so, we're losing our health. A better way to look at meal size is by judging with your palm, not your pocketbook. A good rule of thumb for serving size is, if it fits into the palm of your hand that the right size. Make sure that your serving has one protein, one starch, one veggie, and one fruit, based on the serving that fits in the palm of your hand.
Fat is Bad - We have a mentality that fat is bad, which isn't true. What is more important, according to the American Heart Association, is telling the difference between saturated and trans fats (the bad fats), and eat the good, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. You can find these fats in fish, nuts, avocados, soybean and canola oils. If you track total calories, you don't have to worry about how much fat you eat, just what kind of fat.
If it's liquid, it has no calories - Most sugared drinks including soda's and juices -have a high concentration of high-fructose corn syrup as it's sweetener. But, fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and also interferes with the heart's ability to use key minerals vital for a healthy heart. So, instead of sugared drinks, try drinking water or tea. Tea is calorie free, promotes heart health, strengthens bones & teeth, protects the skin and may help you avoid several types of cancer!
Frozen Entrees are healthy - Many times, with our hectic schedules, it seems as though throwing a frozen entree in the microwave seems the best way to take care of a meal. But, eating too many processed foods like the types you find in the frozen food isle of your nearby supermarket may leave you short on fiber and important antioxidants such as vitamin C. So, if you do find yourself in a situation where having a frozen meal is your only choice, compliment it with a green salad, a whole wheat roll, and some fruit for dessert.
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